When Akademie Schloss Solitude was founded in 1990, a library was set up in addition. Since then, it has been growing every year – there are currently over 12,000 books and now several libraries. Each fellow is invited to suggest two books for the Solitude library to purchase. Visual artist Michl Schmidt suggested a formidably weighty work for the library in 2011, Chris Burden’s retrospective from 2007, and later paid special tribute to the artist’s legacy.
Stuttgart, 07.06.2011
As I first held Chris Burden weighty retrospective (published in 2007 by Thames & Hudson) in my hands at the Walther König bookshop, I had the definite feeling that this legacy of an artist from my parents’ generation had come back to haunt me.
The fellows at Akademie Schloss Solitude are asked to order two books for the house library, thus enriching Solitude’s library, which has been growing since it was founded in 1990.
What an opportunity!
I was therefore able to organize the event Chris Burden Catalogue Presentation by Michl Schmidt together with Mirko Martin. The event is an homage, and an homage can be a form of passion, as was the case here.
I am giving this book back to the library of Akademie Schloss Solitude, together with a DVD which cinematically documents the event as well as a text.
Text by Michl Schmidt
